Breezy strings, doom-drenched death-metal, synth-pop, submerged harmonies, summery ukeleles and icy xylophones are - as this playlist attests - just some of the sounds of the Nordic region, compiled as part of Nordic Day to celebrate DiS curating a Nordic night tonight in London info.

What is the sound that binds Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland? It seems odd that such a huge region would cohere at all but amidst the below list, there's a thread of similarity. At one end of the spectrum (Death Metal in particular), there's a shared bleak humour, perhaps bought on by seasonal affective disorder due to the darkness of those endless winter nights. Meanwhile, the parties beneath the midnight sun need a thumping soundtrack. Somewhere, in the Venn diagram between the two, you'll find most a mixture of dreary-disco (Lykke Li, jj, 120 Days..) and somewhat glacial post-rock (Jeniferever (who until recently were signed to the DiS label), Sigur Ros, Album Leaf, Efterklang...). Then there's the rockist contingent, the leather-clad garage-rocksters and the floppy-fringed post-hardcore lovers. There's a trance scene but also a love of Depeche Mode, a heritage of world-defying pop that's both camp and eccentric and a sense of social responsibility, entwined with a closeness to and respect for the natural world. Not to mention the context that this music is created in: there's the high-tech boom, the high-price of living, the need for escapism, the gulf between the rich and the poor, the barbaric history, the otherworldliness of trolls, houses made of sweets in forests, the extreme weather, the Northern lights...

What I'm trying to say is, a lot the music on the following Spotify playlist is dear to my heart and, judging by the response in this thread, music from the Nordic region is incredibly important to many of you too. There's so much good stuff and I hope exploring this 7-hour adventure you discover some new favourite bands (™ The Hives). Play it however you like, start at the start or skip to something you know and listen to the bits around it. If you're in the mood for something chilled start with 'We Have a Map of the Piano' and drift your way to hugely under-rated Nicolai Dunger. Or jump down to Randy and have your face rocked off.